Challenges in the Transition from Secondary to University Education in the Peruvian Andes

This article discusses the main challenges faced by rural students as they transition into higher education in the Peruvian Andes —a crucial moment, as it confronts them with difficulties rooted in colonial traditions and in a national structure that overlooks the social and cultural diversity of a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Londoño Londoño, Mauricio, Paccha Huamani, Pablo, Segura Terrones, Luis, Vargas Huanca, Dani, Velásquez Velásquez, Ángela, Paccha Rufasto, Cesar
Format: Online
Language:Spanish
Published: Instituto para la Investigación Educativa y el Desarrollo Pedagógico, IDEP 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.idep.edu.co/index.php/educacion-y-ciudad/article/view/3388
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article discusses the main challenges faced by rural students as they transition into higher education in the Peruvian Andes —a crucial moment, as it confronts them with difficulties rooted in colonial traditions and in a national structure that overlooks the social and cultural diversity of a great portion of its young population. This exploratory study, based on a qualitative approach, captures the experiences of a group of students from rural backgrounds. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and subjected to thematic analyses. The findings highlight that the transition experience for these students is challenging both academically and socially. The root cause of these challenges lies in the mismatch between the academic and social capital acquired in their pre-university lives and the dynamics of the university environment and culture. This mismatch hinders both academic success and social integration during the transition year, and it leads to psychological and emotional distress, circumstances in which it becomes important to assess students’ resilience in order to mitigate the adverse effects on their well-being.